Second Chances: The Bully Most Likely To
by jtbwriter
Summary: When Rick's High School Reunion comes around, An old enemy decides to take revenge on Rick and his family. Please review, all constructive reviews and comments welcome!
1. Default Chapter

Second Chances: The Bully Most Likely To......  
  
A Simon & Simon/Six Million Dollar Man Crossover Tale  
  
When Rick's High School Reunion comes around, an old enemy  
decides to take revenge on Rick and his family. (This is a work of fiction. No money is being made on it, and the characters are owned by Universal  
and are only being borrowed for a little while. .)  
  
Prologue  
  
_"What's the matter, baby, your boyfriend's late?" Laurie hated that sneer, in his voice and his face.  
  
She tried to sidestep the beefy guy, Stu Reiner was bigger then his younger brother, and meaner. As she went past him on the broken sidewalk he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. "Let go of me you jerk!" Laurie told him furiously, struggling to get away from him.  
  
"Oh, no, I want to see what's so special about you, Miss Laurie, everybody looks out for you except for your folks. Time to see what Herman knows about you that your boyfriend don't!", he taunted, drawing her closer.  
  
Scared, she struck out as Rick had taught her, kicking his shin, then stomping on his foot and pulling herself free. Stumbling, she almost fell only to be caught in arms she knew, that meant safety. "Laurie, are you all right, did he hurt you?" he growled, watching the bully getting to his feet.  
  
"Yes, my arm. Oh Rick, he was going to try...", she was cut off by the protestations of Reiner's stooge, Bobby Johnson. "He didn't do anything to her, she kicked him first!" he whined, as Rick put his girl behind him and advanced toward both boys.  
  
Suddenly she heard an authoritative voice, "What's going on here?" The assistant principal, Mr. Torres came toward the four kids. Before any of the others could speak, Laurie turned to him.  
  
"Stu grabbed me and wouldn't let go, sir. I told him to leave me alone, and he made a nasty comment so I used the self-defense we learned in class and made him release my arm. If Rick hadn't come along, I'd have fallen!"  
  
The quiet adult looked at the bully, then Rick. "That true, Simon?" "Yes, sir, I heard him insult her then she kicked his leg and stepped on his foot." Rick held his tongue as to the crude words that had brought a flush to Laurie's face.  
  
"Reiner, get off this campus, you're suspended. A note will be sent to your parents, they'll have to come in with you this time, no excuses. Johnson, you stood there and let him grab Miss Scott?"  
  
"Uh, well, he didn't really grab her, I mean she ignored him, so he just wanted her attention." he waffled, drawing an angry stare from his buddy.  
  
"You go home, I'll call your parents and discuss this with them. Now!" Torres raised his voice, seeing both delinquents smirking. All humor vanished as Reiner and Johnson headed in opposite directions, Reiner angrily muttering.  
  
Sighing, the assistant principal addressed the two students left standing in front of him.  
  
"Laurie, you did the right thing, I'm glad you learned something useful in your classes. Are either of your parents home?"  
  
She shook her head. "No sir, they're, uh, out of town until tomorrow. I have permission to stay with Rick's Mom, can we go now. My arm hurts."  
  
"Of course, Laurie. Simon, you take her straight home, you don't go after Stu Reiner, you got that?" Torres ordered. "Yes, sir." Rick glumly promised, clenching his fists.  
  
"I'll hold you to that, and Simon," Rick looked up at him. A brief look of admiration crossed the man's face. "Good work, teaching her that move. Now go home."  
  
"Yes, sir!" Rick smiled, then protectively took Laurie's hand and started home. As they approached his house, she looked up at him. "Rick, thank you. You came when I needed you, like always."  
  
Squeezing her hand, he grinned. "You didn't really need my help that much, what a wuss. He went down with one kick, huh!"  
  
"Yes, Rick, then I stomped down on his toes. I guess Mr. Torres realized they don't teach that kind of stuff in Gym, that was nice of him to stand up to that bully, though!" she added.  
  
"Yeah, didn't think he had it in him. Torres is a good guy. Listen, honey, um", Rick hesitated, then felt Laurie's fingers on his lips.  
  
"Don't, darling, please. I want to forget I heard what that creep said. I know Herman's a drunk and all, but I don't think he's like that." she shook her head. "It's all right, my girl, let's go into Mom and A.J.; at least we won't have to look at Reiner for a while, huh?" Rick snickered, bringing a smile to Laurie's face.  
  
"You're right, there is a bright side to this!" she agreed, laughing, then saying, "Race you!", ran into the Simon house. As Rick sped after her, he felt happy, his girl was where she belonged._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
"I know what you're thinking, Rick, and she'll be here any moment." Rick started up guiltily, then grinned as his younger brother tossed him a soda. "What made you think I was thinking about her, huh? I could have been thinking about, oh, the nice check we're picking up today!" he teased, popping the tab and guzzling his drink.  
  
"Yeah, right, that smile all but had drool attached!" A.J. snickered. Rick stretched and leaned back in his chair, a wicked smile on his face. "If you must know, I got an invitation to our class reunion, it's going to be next month in San Diego. I'm thinking about combining it with our anniversary weekend and taking Laurie to the Del."  
  
"Rick, that is a great idea, she'll love it! Plus you'll get to see all your friends and, well maybe even Mr. Torres, I hear he's retiring as Superintendent." A. J. replied, then saw his brother bolt straight up from his chair, as if startled. "What is it, Rick, what'd I say?"  
  
"Uh, that's weird, little brother, I was just remembering Mr. Torres, the time he stood up to that creep Stu Reiner and his stooge. That's what I was smiling about, when Laurie was staying with us that time, just before, well, before those people took her away." Rick shook his head.  
  
"Must just be a coincidence, you remembering that." A.J. said, then smiled. "I thought about that week, it was the year after Dad died and Mom was so lonesome sometimes. I really think Laurie being there helped her, especially when it was so soon after that she disappeared."  
  
"Well, nothing like that is ever going to happen to my girl again, not if I can help it!" Rick asserted, dismissing that dark time. Suddenly his ears picked up the sound of footsteps, and he flashed a grin at A.J..  
  
"Right on time, A.J.." he stood up as the door opened and his wife came in, beaming at the two Simon brothers.  
  
"Hey, little brother!", she gave him a hug. "How's my sis?" he smiled, as she produced a sack lunch and plopped it on his desk. "Hungry, watching Robin make these I almost stole a bite!" she needled, waltzing over to Rick as he embraced her.  
  
"I could use a bite right now, but I'll wait for my sandwich!" he teased, kissing her then pulling out a chair for her. Sitting down, she handed him his meal as A.J. passed drinks around.  
  
As they ate, Laurie filled the guys in on seeing their daughter-in-law Ramona having a check-up at the local clinic. "Doc had her come in, seeing as she hasn't gained much weight, but he didn't seem concerned. Robbie's picking her up so she won't have to walk home."  
  
"Good, I don't like her working with those kids all day then walking home afterwards, especially in this heat." Rick noted, then winked at his brother.  
  
"By the way, sweetheart, I got a letter from one of the guys in my class. Next month is my class reunion, I was thinking we could go and then stay over with Mom, what do you think?"  
  
"Oh Rick, I think that would be fun, I'd love to see some of the kids, I mean, people we knew from high school. Who's in charge?" she asked, reaching for the other half of her sandwich.  
  
"Some girl I don't remember, she's a CEO now or something. I think Doug Sherman and a couple of the others are on the committee. Maybe we'll even see Mr. Torres, A.J. says he's retiring this year." Rick finished his lunch then pulled out another soda.  
  
"I hope he comes, darling, he always tried to help me when, well, when those two tried to stop me from participating in things." Laurie answered in a quiet voice. She looked over at A.J., then smiled. "I even remember the time he caught Rick sneaking in late to school one day, he told Mom he was on special assignment when you were really serving detention. Mr. Torres didn't want to put extra worry on Mom, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't late again!"  
  
"Yeah, I'd forgotten that, darlin', I owe that guy, maybe I'll talk to Doug and see if we can't honor him or something for his help!" her husband decided, then noticed Laurie looking at his worn office chair. "Rick, that chair all but has springs busting through, we should get you a new one!"  
  
"It'll last another year, Laurie, then I'll go ahead and retire it, ok?" he promised, just knowing she was thinking of his anniversary gift. Meeting her eyes, she laughed and blushed. "Not fair, my love, you know me too well!  
  
"What, Laurie, are you two playing mental hopscotch again?" A.J. ragged them, aching to know if Rick had fallen for the red herring about his chair.  
  
Just then the phone rang, and seeing the caller id, Laurie picked it up. "Robbie, it's Mom, how are you?"  
  
Rick was finishing his soda when he saw her face go white, as she said "We'll leave now, darling, she'll be all right, just hold on!"  
  
"What is it, Laurie?" he mouthed, then took the phone from her as she turned to A.J. "Son?" He barely recognized Robbie's quavering voice. "Pop, it's Ramona, she got sick at work,.... Pop, we might lose the baby."  
  
"Oh no, Robbie, no." Rick felt his stomach drop then tried to remain calm. "We're on our way, son!" Hanging up, he faced his stricken brother and wife, then taking Laurie's hand, headed for the doorway. "A.J. can you....?"  
  
"I'm coming too, I'll leave a note on the door, go ahead and I'll catch up with you!" his little brother replied ,grabbing a piece of paper.  
  
As they raced toward Silver Rock, Laurie told Rick how their son said it seemed it was just the heat bothering Ramona's stomach. "Then Robbie said she called him at the station, that she was feeling funny. When he got to the school, Ramona came outside then passed out in his arms.  
  
He practically ran the whole way to the hospital with her, and thank God Dr. Lindstrom was visiting, he took her right away!"  
  
Rick was silent, "How could this happen to our son, to our grandchild; it's not fair!", he raged inside. He felt Laurie's eyes on him, she too was quiet. As he drove, he stole a look at her and saw that she was praying, a single tear on her cheek. Touched, he raised his hand and wiped it away with the back of his hand, then caressed her cheek. "It'll be all right, my sweetheart." he assured her. She caught his hand to her lips, "Thank you, darling, you give me strength. I promise, I'll be calm for the children."  
  
He managed a smile. "You always are, Laurie."  
  
Later, he marveled at how supportive everyone was to their family. As soon as they arrived, Robbie met them at the door of the hospital with reddened eyes. He took one look at his father then hugged him, saying "Thank you Pop, I knew you'd come!"  
  
"Where else would I be for my son and daughter-in-law?", Rick choked, then moved for Laurie to hold her son in her arms.  
  
As they entered the lobby, they saw Rudy and Oscar all ready there, with Cecilia and Robin. Sheriff Rob and the Chief were just sitting down when they caught sight of Rick and Laurie, then came over to greet them. Just then A.J. came in, and hugged his nephew, then perched next to his mother.  
  
As Rick sat next to his daughter, he watched Laurie talking to her son, as he paced back and forth, unable to settle down.  
  
"She's giving him what he needs right now, son, she's listening. That's what a mother does." Cecilia remarked, seeing his gaze focused on his wife.  
  
"I know, Mom, you've done the same with me, it's just, Laurie only had you as an example, yet she instinctively knows what to do with all of us!" Rick marveled. "Pop, that's cute, us!" Robin smiled, then put her head against his shoulder. 'Yes, us, honey, just when I think I've got her figured out, she surprises me! I've got her fooled for our anniversary this year, though, I'll tell you and your brother about it at a better time!"  
  
After a while, Angelina, Ramona's mother reappeared with Dr. Lindstrom and Doc. Laurie went at once to the two doctors.  
  
"Is Ramona all right, how's the baby?" She asked point blank. Doc grinned at her, "She's going to be just fine, honey. Where's Robbie?"  
  
Hearing his name, the young deputy handed his grandmother a cup of tea, then stepped forward. "Doc, how's Ramona, what about the baby?"  
  
"Ramona has a slight case of the flu, son, and it developed into a mild infection. Fortunately we were able to knock it down with some strong antibiotics, but we won't know if there's been any harm to the baby for the next few weeks." Doc told him honestly. Rick moved in back of Laurie as they listened to the diagnosis. "I don't think at 13 weeks there's much chance of the medications affecting its' growth, but we'll monitor the baby's progress for a month or so."  
  
"Your wife'll be bedridden for the next couple of days, then she can probably return to work on a part time basis next week. No more walking home in the heat, though, I'll give her a sheet with some exercises she can do at home to keep flexible, but she's to take it easy, Robbie, understand?" Dr. Lindstrom sternly added.  
  
"Yes, Doctor, whatever you say!", Robbie answered, then relaxed perceptibly as the normally poker faced doctor smiled. "Now go see your wife, she's worried that you're worried!" "Yes, sir, sirs!", he replied, hugging his parents then tearing down the hall.  
  
Relieved, Rick and Laurie thanked the two doctors, then went to their family and friends and gave them the news. Oscar watched with pride as his niece covered her own emotions and reassured Cecilia and Robin. A.J. volunteered to take his mother home so Robin could go home and rest before reporting for an early morning breakfast occasion at the hotel.  
  
'Thanks, Uncle A.J., just for that I'll send some brioche to work with Pop on Monday!" Robin beamed. "For fresh brioche, I'll take Cecelia to A.J.'s " Oscar teased.  
  
"Oh, really, Oscar, am I reduced to the value of French bread?" she tossed back at him, then laughed at his red face. "Mom, ragging you, Oscar? Now we know you're family!" Laurie giggled.  
  
Just then Robbie came smiling down the hall. "Guys, Ramona's feeling better and Doc says you can take turns seeing her for a little while."  
  
"You and Robin go first, darlin', I'll wait!" Rick told Laurie. She kissed him, "we won't take long, my love." Waving at her brother-in-law, she followed her children.  
  
As A.J. made his goodbyes, he pulled a white envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Rick. "Almost forgot, this was in the mail for you. Maybe it's about the reunion!"  
  
"Great, wonder what else they've planned for the weekend?" the older Simon grinned, opening the envelope. Scanning the pages, his face turned white with anger. A.J. stopped in his tracks. "Rick, what is it?"  
  
"I don't believe it, you know who this is from? That punk Reiner. It seems he wants to let bygones be bygones, that he's changed. He wants Laurie and I to come to the reunion as his guests!  
  
The old man even put in a postscript, that since "we're all adults, it's time to put the past behind us!" 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
"Oh, no! You can't be serious!" The younger Simon took the letter from his infuriated brother, then looked up at him. "There's no way, Rick. Mr. Reiner's always bought Stu's way out of every mess he's gotten into. The last time I thought for sure he'd go to prison, but his father paid off a rehab place to say he needed help and they went for it!"  
  
Seeing his girl coming down the hall, Rick turned to A.J. . "Not a word, little brother, I'll tell her at a better time. Maybe we'll go to Las Vegas for our anniversary, but there's no way I want to put her through anything like this!"  
  
Standing up, he put a smile on his face as Laurie came up to him. "Darling, Ramona wants to see you, then Doc says she needs to rest. Coming?"  
  
'Yes, sweetheart." he took her hand, then told A.J., "I'll call you when we get home, drive careful, ok?"  
  
"Yes, Rick." he mock-groaned, then ducked his brother's headlock.  
  
Heading home after making sure Robbie had eaten, Rick wearily tried to figure a way to tell his wife about the possible appearance of the hated bully from their past. As they pulled into the driveway of their home, he decided to make some tea, then play down the letter's contents.  
  
His plan was negated as he turned off the engine, by the arms that stole around his neck, then Laurie's gentle kiss next to his right ear. Turning to face her, he saw a look of worry on her face.  
  
"Rick, darling, what's wrong, please tell me." she said, then she put her hand to his face and caressed his cheek.  
  
"Laurie, what..." Rick stopped, he realized she deserved to know the truth. "I can't hide anything from my girl, can I?" he replied ruefully, taking her hand and kissing it. "Let's go inside, we have to decide something together, sweetheart."  
  
"Oh, no, Rick , not him!"  
  
Laurie stared at the letter in her hand, then met her husband's eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, I wanted this to be special, darlin' but I don't want our weekend to be spoiled by that piece of scum...we can always send our regrets!" he replied. After a moment, he glanced over at her, then pulled Laurie into his embrace. Snuggling against him, she was quiet for a moment, then ...  
  
"I want us to go, Rick, but not with Stu Reiner ruining everything for everybody, we weren't the only ones he harassed! Listen, call Doug, there's got to be a reason that Reiner and his father sent that letter to you. Let him know what the letter says, something just feels funny about it."  
  
"Good idea, sweetheart, I'll give him a call right now, it's just after 7 there." Rick agreed. As Laurie went to put some water on, he took the extension into the living room and dialed the former class president.  
  
As he came back into the kitchen, Rick put his arms around his wife as she was putting a plate of cookies on the table. "Have I told you how smart you are today?" he teased, kissing her neck and taking a cookie in one move.  
  
"No, but it's not too late to start, darling!" she laughed. as he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. "What did Doug have to say?"  
  
"A lot, most of it with a swear word preceding it! Never knew the guy had it in him!" Rick answered with a hint of admiration.  
  
"Turns out the reunion committee had already returned Reiner's deposit, telling him he wasn't welcome because of his "criminal background". The old man contacted them and practically threatened legal action to make them let him attend. Finally Doug told him if you and I forgave him, he could come to the dinner. I read that letter we got to him, and then told him we want no part of him at the reunion."  
  
Rick took the cup of coffee Laurie handed him, then added, "Fortunately, Doug says Reiner has no legal backing on this; since it is a private event being held on private grounds. He's going to write Reiner a letter stating that we have no intention of giving him permission to attend. I told him I was going to send a note too, just telling him not to bother us again. That should finish that!" Rick finished his cookie, then let Laurie feed him the rest of hers as she crowed, "We won't let him spoil our good time, thank you, my love." she said, kissing his crumby mouth.  
  
Rick almost forgot about the Reiner problem during the next week; between a couple of rush assignments and visiting Ramona in the hospital. He heard from a couple of high school friends who were aware of Reiner's ploy. After admitting they were still spooked by his father's pressure tactics, they offered to write a note to the reunion committee saying they too didn't want him there.  
  
"A.J., nobody wants Bobby Johnson there either; Doug told me he was the one who dropped the water balloon that had nails in it on the high school track during the senior gym finals. If Mr. Torres hadn't seen it in time, a lot of kids would have ended up in the emergency room." he remarked, waiting for his brother to finish a report.  
  
"I remember that, Rick, the weasel tried to get back at everyone who filed a complaint against Reiner. If his dad hadn't been a politician, he'd been run out of town!" A.J. said, handing Rick the completed file.  
  
"By the way, when's Mom going to San Diego?" Rick asked, looking at his calendar.  
  
"Today, she was going to fly out yesterday, but she overslept and decided to spend one more day with Ricky and Ceci." A.J. replied. The phone rang and Rick answered it, thinking it would be Laurie with their lunch order.  
  
"Simon and Simon Investigations".  
  
"Rick, honey, it's gone, my house is gone!" a tearful voice said. "Mom?" he said, almost not recognizing her. "What happened, what do you mean your house is gone, are you all right?"  
  
"Nooo, honey, you don't understand. My house in San Diego, it burned down last night. I just got a call from my neighbors, someone threw something into the house and it just went up!" Cecilia wept.  
  
"Mom, are you at A.J.'s?" Rick asked. "Yes, I was just about to leave for the airport when Betty called." she answered.  
  
"We'll be right there, don't leave the house, okay?" Rick ordered, then hung up. A.J. stared at him. "I don't believe it, why would someone target Mom?"  
  
Suddenly he had a horrible thought; what if this was the work of...  
  
As if reading his thoughts, A.J. stood up, "Rick, it's too much of a coincidence; call Doug and find out what Reiner's reaction was to being refused admission to the reunion."  
  
"Already dialing, you head for Mom's, I'll be right there." he replied, seething.  
  
Not finding the reunion head at home, he ran down the stairs to catch up with his brother. As he exited the building, he saw A.J. just putting the key in his car door. Abruptly a black van came around the side of the building, then sped through the parking lot. Rick gasped, it was headed right for his brother!  
  
"A.J.! Behind you!" he yelled. In a split second A.J. managed to jump the hood of his car and fall on the other side, as the speeding van just missed him. Rick pulled his gun and fired off several shots, one that at least connected by the sound of it, but the vehicle continued out of the lot and vanished onto the interstate. Running toward his brother, Rick called "A.J." then was relieved when he saw him stand up, shaken but in one piece.  
  
"A.J., are you all right?" he said, panting as he came to the passenger side of the sports car and hugging his younger brother. "Yes, Rick, thanks to you! If you hadn't called out....." A.J. grinned weakly at him, then winced as he looked down at his torn pant leg and skinned knee. Anger darkened Rick's eyes, "That's it-I got the license plate number, I'm calling Captain Ron! He almost kills you and burns down Mom's house, it ends here!"  
  
"You're right, what if Reiner doesn't stop at us; hey, wait a minute, who's that coming?" A.J. gazed over Rick's shoulder at an approaching police car, then was surprised to see their friend Ron Johnson of Phoenix PD. Stopping next to them, he got out and greeted both brothers. "I'm glad to see you're both all right, did someone just try to hit one of you?"  
  
"Well, I'll be.. how did you know, Ron, someone in a black van just tried to take out A.J.!" Rick replied, shaking his head in astonishment.  
  
"Your wife, for starters. She called me, panicked that something might have happened to you two, seems someone burned down your mother's home, then left a weird message on your answering machine. Oh, and Rick," the captain grinned. "You need to check your transmitter more often, Laurie was extra worried cause you didn't have your receiver on!"  
  
Groaning, Rick said, "I forgot, my poor girl, she must be frantic! I promised to put it on when we leave the office, I won't forget again!" "You better not, now let's get you two to your mother, she's pretty upset." Johnson told them.  
  
Following the Simons to A.J.'s , the three men were greeted by Linda and Cecelia, who upon hearing about the attack on her son, hugged both of her children. "To think I was mourning the loss of my house, I can rebuild, but I can't get another son like you two!" she told them.  
  
"It's all right, Mom, we'll help you rebuild, don't worry!" Rick hugged his mother. "No, son, my days in San Diego are done! We'll go back to salvage what we can, but I'd rather stay here close to my family, after all, I'm needed for the second generation of Simons!" she smiled, looking at her two boys.  
  
Settling down with some coffee, Captain Ron had the brothers fill him in on the arson attack and the near-fatal hit and run of A.J. When he heard the descriptions of the black van that went after A.J., he called into the station and after speaking to the desk clerk, came back with some concrete news.  
  
"Rick, one of our patrols just found your black van, it's been wiped clean but there were 2 bullet holes in the rear tire and tire well, and one into the back seat. Also, I called to see where Mr. Reiner might be and there's an indication he might be in the area, where as this, Bobby Johnson?" Ron looked at A.J. who nodded. "is still in the San Diego area. Fortunately he was seen in the vicinity of your mother's last night, so we can pull him in and get an idea of what Reiner is up to next!!  
  
Just then the phone rang, and Rick stiffened as Linda answered it, then relaxed as she brought the extension over to him. "It's Laurie, she wanted to know how A.J. and Mom are!"  
  
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I was going to call you when I got in!" he apologized. "It's all right, darling. I knew things would be okay once you got to Mom. Did Ron tell you about the message on our answering machine?" Laurie asked nervously.  
  
"He told us you said it was weird, what's does the message say, darlin'?" Rick replied  
  
"It's one word, over and over, one of those electronic voices like, well, that voice box Gary Masters used in San Diego. Payback, it says, then a laughing noise, then the work Payback over and over, seven times, Rick. I think it's some sick joke, what else could it, unless..." Laurie paused, then Rick heard her catch her breath. "Laurie, it's all right, Captain Ron's going to have Abby pick Bobby Johnson up; a witness identified him as being near Mom's last night. Once we have him, we'll get Reiner too!"  
  
"I know, darling, it just makes me nervous, what if Reiner comes after you next, promise me you'll be careful, please?" she said, pleadingly.  
  
"Don't worry, my angel, I'll watch my step. Now you lock up and don't let anybody in the house unless it's one of us, capice?" He grinned as she giggled, "I capice, my love. Oh you make me feel better, hurry home Rick!"  
  
"I am, darlin', I'll call you when I come down the drive." Lowering his voice, Rick whispered "I love you, I'll see you in a little while." "I love you too, be careful, darling. Give my love to Mom!" she answered.  
  
Hanging up the phone, Rick turned to see his mother smiling at him. "Laurie sends you love, Mom, I'm going to go home now, I want to hear this 'Payback" message for myself!" Cecelia reached over and hugged her oldest boy. "You're a good husband, Rick. You made Laurie feel safer just by telling her the truth. Now you get going, I want you home before dark, you know what the roads are like!"  
  
Abruptly the phone rang again, and Linda handed it this time to Captain Ron, who listened with an impassive face that suddenly darkened with controlled rage. "Abby, we have his stooge seen near Mrs. Simon's firebombed home, a taped message with a barely disguised voice and he wants a restraining order against Rick Simon? Tell him to go ahead and try it, Abby; in the meantime I want his son to appear in my office tomorrow morning. I want to compare his voiceprint against a taped threat made against the Simons!" the captain retorted. After listening to the San Diego chief, he calmed down. "All right, Abby, tell him to let us know when Stu will make himself available, I'll be in my office in about 15 minutes. You want to talk to Cecilia?" Ron turned the extension over to Cecilia, then stared angrily at the brothers.  
  
"I don't believe it, Ron! The guy is trying to get a restraining order because he says we're harassing him? What is it, the whole family is looney!" Rick exploded. "No, Rick, he's not going to get one, but I'm going to ask you to stay put tonight, so I can prove the only threat to anyone's safety is Riener!" the Captain replied. "Don't worry, I'm going home to Laurie, I don't want her or Linda to be left alone until these bastards are locked up! A.J., you call me if you hear anything or ..well, if you guys need anything." Taking leave of his mother and the others, Rick walked out to his truck with Captain Ron. "I know it seems crazy, Rick, but Reiner'll have a jury eating out of his hand if you even breathe near his son! You stay home with Laurie until you hear otherwise." he ordered, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.  
  
"I know, I know!" Rick half-heartedly grinned agreement. "Call me if you hear anything, Ron!"  
  
Shifting his truck into gear, he took off down the street, then roared toward the interstate. As he disappeared into the distance, the policeman went back into the house unaware of a white panel van parked a block away. A moment passed, then the van pulled away, its only occupant smirking as he drove, staring at a picture of Laurie Simon. "Just a little longer, Miss Laurie, and you'll be glad to leave him and come be with me!" 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
"Payback" the voice repeated, then a horrible sound like laughing was heard on the tape. Rick fumed inwardly as he saw how it made his wife cringe.  
  
"I'm sorry, Laurie, I won't play that again, sweetheart!" He told her, leaning over and kissing her. He was having a bad time controlling his anger, just after he had come home Doug Sherman had called, not only had he gotten one of the "Payback" calls, but his tires had been slashed and a cherry bomb had been put in his mailbox. Fortunately an alert mailman had seen a man matching Bobby Johnson's description putting it in and had called the police, now an APB was out on the hapless stooge. Sherman was a strong man, but he was really on edge when he called. Now having listened to the sickening tape, Rick knew Reiner wasn't playing with a full deck. What would he do next, and to whom? At that moment he felt a hand tug on his arm, then he managed a smile as he sat down on the living room sofa next to his wife.  
  
Laurie snuggled closer to him on the sofa, then meeting his eyes, said "it's all right, that weasel Reiner underestimated the Simon brothers! By the time you and A.J. press charges, he'll wish he'd never left San Diego, let alone threatened us!" Smiling at her fierce expression, Rick kissed her neck as she melted against him. "My brave girl, such a tiger, no one's going to mess with us!" he teased.  
  
"This tiger has no claws when you kiss me there, darling," she breathed, then sighed when he nuzzled her throat then her lips. The phone rang, causing both husband and wife to moan in unison, then Laurie giggled as Rick swiped at the receiver.  
  
"Simon Residence", he growled, then his eyes narrowed as he recognized the voice on the other end.  
  
"Tell me, Rick, how would you like to be the hunted instead of the hunter, you don't know where I'm going to be next, do you? Here's a dare, why don't you meet me like a man and we'll slug it out, mano y mano, so to speak?" the bully taunted.  
  
"I wouldn't dirty my hands with your sweat, let alone walk into a trap, Reiner!" Rick returned, wanting to strangle Reiner. "I dare you, coward, you meet me in the parking lot of your office in one hour or you're nothing but a big mouthed blowhard!" he returned, then hung up.  
  
"You're on!" Rick yelled into the phone, then hung up, breathing hard. Getting up from the sofa, he started for the bedroom to fetch his gun. "Rick, what's going on, where are you going?" Laurie followed him then gasped to see him putting his gun in his shoulder holster then buckling it on .  
  
"Oh, no, Rick, don't! It's a trap, please don't fall for his dare, please!", she asked, then realized he wasn't listening. "Rick, darling, you promised Captain Ron you wouldn't leave. Reiner's just waiting for you to come, he'll have you arrested and they'll take you away from me!"  
  
He finally glanced at her. "Laurie, I have to go, he's called me out and if I don't go, he'll have even more incentive to come after one of you!" Getting his jacket, he turned to find his wife standing in front of him.  
  
"Rick, you don't understand, I won't have you to protect me. I trust Oscar and A.J. and Robbie, but they're not you, I don't feel as safe with them as I do with you! Please Rick, I'm asking you, don't leave!" Laurie begged.  
  
"Laurie, I told you I have to go, I'll call Oscar and Robbie and have them come over, you'll be all right! I can't let Reiner intimidate me!" Rick replied to her, uncomfortable at the thought of her being alone. Her next sentence brought him up short as he pulled on his jacket and walked to the door. She ran in front of him, then blocking his way, told him, "You loved me enough, darling, to spend hours searching for me in the ocean, you found me and took care of me when I was in a dark cave and scared. You even took a bullet for me, please don't leave me just so you can prove yourself to this maniac!"  
  
Seeing in his face that he was set on going, she stepped away from the door, then lifting her eyes to his face, whispered, "I love you, Rick." Ashamed, Rick went to the door and opened it, then realized that he was doing something he'd thought he'd never do; leave his wife when she needed him to stay.  
  
He closed the door and turned around, only to see her standing in the same place with her head bowed.  
  
Rick put his arms around her and as she turned her head, startled, he said "I love you, Laurie, I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry!"  
  
"Rick, oh, darling, you didn't, you couldn't hurt me ever, only worry me something awful!", she cried, kissing his face as he cuddled her to his chest. Returning her kisses, Rick led Laurie to the sofa and pulled her into his embrace. "My precious love, I will never leave you frightened or upset, you are more important to me then anything in the world!" he promised her.  
  
'Oh, I love you, Rick! You say the most beautiful things." she softly told him, putting her face against his. He stroked her cheek, then saw it was past dinnertime. "Darlin', why don't I go get us some eggs, how does an omelet sound?"  
  
"You have the best ideas, my love! Let me start the bacon and tea while you get the eggs!" she returned with a smile.  
  
They had already done the dishes and were settling down to watch a movie when the phone rang. Preparing to listen to more taunting from Reiner, Rick was surprised to find Captain Ron on the line. "Rick?" Shaking his head, the older Simon replied, "Still here, though I got a call from Stu Reiner, he issued a challenge. He dared me to go fight him in our office parking lot!"  
  
"I'm glad you didn't go for it, my friend." the policeman admitted. "I just got a call from Reiner, saying that you were outside his door and were harassing him. I knew it was fake, but I've got stuff on him now! I"ll have him picked up for filing a false report!". Breathing a sigh of relief, Rick made his goodbyes to Captain Ron, then put an arm around his wife. "I owe you a forfeit for being right!" he admitted, then felt her lips on his neck. "My reward is you being here, I had such a bad feeling about that phone call from Reiner. He used to dare people to get them into trouble in school and then run and hide behind his father's money." Laurie added, leaning against him..  
  
"I remember, sweetheart. I should have thought about it before worrying you like that. No, we'll let Captain Ron and Abby take the lead on this; especially since they have the threat against Doug Sherman to add now!" Rick said, kissing her lips. "Now, where were we when we were interrupted?" "Nothing wrong with continuing this!" she whispered, meeting his mouth with hers again.  
  
The next morning, Rick woke with the phone ringing, then an uneasy feeling; like something was wrong but he couldn't tell what. Turning over, he saw that Laurie was already up, then he had a flash of panic from her. He was already up and moving when he heard his name "Rick!"  
  
Coming into the kitchen, he saw her, ashen-faced, holding the receiver in her hand. "Robin, answer me honey!", she said. Handing him the phone, she told him "It's Robin, something's wrong. She heard someone in the kitchens when she came into work, but no one else is supposed to be there. Robin called security, then Robbie, and went to meet them at the kitchen door, now she's not answering!"  
  
Rick took the phone from her, then listening intently, heard steps coming closer to the phone, then someone saying one word, "Payback" then a click.  
  
"Robin!", he called, hearing nothing but a dial tone. Quickly dialing the hotel security line, he got a hold of the chief officer, finding that he had sent the two men on duty to search for Robin. Arranging to meet with him, the security officer also alerted him to the fact that Robbie had just arrived, and was already in the kitchens. "Thanks Chief, my wife and I will be there in as soon as possible. Did you contact Phoenix P.D.?"  
  
"No, sir, but I believe your son may have, I'll wait until he comes back to ask." the man replied.  
  
Hanging up, Rick pulled on some clothes as Laurie dialed first Oscar then A.J. and filled them in on Robin's disappearance. Both men immediately said they'd meet them at the hotel, then Oscar got on the phone with Rick. "I know we can't leave Laurie home alone, but when we get to the hotel, I want her to stay with one of us at all times!" the older man insisted. "I agree, Oscar. Reiner scares me, he'll stop at nothing to get back at us!" Rick told him. A.J. was going out the door practically as they spoke, he'd been on his way to the store when Laurie caught him. "Don't worry, honey, tell Rick I'll wait for him at the back entrance to the hotel, we can use the employee shortcut there!" he reassured her.  
  
Within minutes, Rick and Laurie were speeding toward Phoenix, Rick having turned on his transmitter and spoken with A.J. and Oscar. Getting in touch with Captain Ron, Rick had a sinking feeling as the policeman acknowledged a call by Robbie for back up, but no response since. Arriving at Heritage Hotel, Rick pulled in next to A.J. and Oscar right behind him. As they got out, the chief of security for the hotel came to meet them. "Mr. Simon, Mrs. Simon, I'm James Lopez, I spoke with you earlier. We've had no luck in locating your daughter, and unfortunately, your son hasn't returned either."  
  
Rick shook his head as Laurie tightened her grip on his hand. "That isn't like my son. Something must have happened and I'm afraid I may know who's behind their disappearance." "Yes, Mr. Simon, Captain Johnson from Phoenix P.D. mentioned an APB is out on a Stu Reiner. Unfortunately, we've identified a car in our lot as belonging to him; it's still here so we may have him in the hotel. Let me show you our layout and you can start your search from there." Lopez added.  
  
As the group entered the employee entrance to the hotel, a popping noise was heard and all the lights went out. Startled, the security chief pulled out his radio and called the main desk, only to find out the outage was confined to the lower level of the hotel. Ordering the emergency generators on, Lopez grabbed a couple of flashlights and led the way to the kitchens.  
  
Just as they reached the door to the hospitality department, a low level of lights went on, and the security chief was able to key in the code to enter the area. Once inside, Lopez called out for his men, but except for the noise of the generator, there was no reply. Laurie suddenly had a flash, then "saw" her children inside one of the walk-in freezers.  
  
"Rick! Robin, Robbie, they're in one of these!" she indicated the refrigerator area. Not questioning her, he went toward the cases and started opening doors. "Robbie, Robin!" he called, then a thumping was heard from the end of the room. "That's the freezers!" Lopez responded, as Rick told his wife, "Stay here, darlin'." then followed the other searchers to the meat lockers. Abruptly, she heard a noise from the door nearest her, so she opened it and gasped, seeing her son and daughter tied up inside. "Rick!" she called, rushing inside and pulling off the tape off the mouth of first Robbie then Robin. "No, Mom, it's a trap!" Robbie blurted, then as Laurie turned, something hit her and she fell forward.  
  
"Laurie!", Rick whirled and responded when he heard her call. Turning from the open freezer where the two missing security guards were being freed, he ran back to where he'd left his wife, only to see his son struggling to free himself. "Pop, he's got Mom!" Robbie yelled, as Rick bent over and untied him. "Untie your sister and stay here!", he told his son, then calling for A.J., raced out the door and toward the exit. Just as they reached the back door, they saw a van screeching away, then Rick felt Laurie calling to him on her transmitter. "Rick! Reiner grabbed me, please hurry!" Terrified, he managed tell her it would be all right, he was coming. "A.J., Reiner's got her, we've got to follow him!" he told his brother, just then Oscar and the security chief joined them, assisting Robbie and Robin out of the building. "Are you two all right, did he hurt you?" Rick asked them anxiously, seeing a cut on his son's forehead.  
  
"Just woozy, Pop, that Reiner hit me and when I came to he had me with Robin in that storage locker. I heard you call then when Mom opened the door he hit her from behind and carried her away!" his son answered. Robin started to sob in Oscar's arms, "He said he wants Mom for himself, Pop, he dragged me in the locker and made me call Robbie's name! I told him he wasn't the man you were and he hit me! "  
  
"It's all right honey, we'll get her back!" Rick told her, furious, then looking at his transmitter told his brother, "I think they're going out of the city, we've got to hurry!"  
  
Asking Captain Ron to get his children to the hospital, Rick and A.J. climbed into Rick's truck as Oscar told them, "Set your transmitters to 715.5, and tell me the minute you hear from Laurie or know where she's at! I'll call Rudy and have him meet us!"  
  
Speeding in the direction of the transmitter arrow, Rick heard Laurie call him again. "Darlin' I'm coming, Robbie and Robin are safe, where are you?" he asked.  
  
"Rick, he's taking me to the airport, oh, hurry, he's going to take off to San Diego!", she answered, scared. Feeling her panic, Rick tried to calm her as he made a wide turn and headed toward the Phoenix airport. Relaying their destination to Oscar, he got a signal from Captain Ron.  
  
"Ron, Laurie says Reiner's taking her to the airport, Rick's using Ghost Mountain Road, it'll take us to the private plane hangers!" A.J. reported, then the captain replied "I've got Reiner senior with me, he says he'll tell us which hanger his son is headed to if we promise not to hurt him!"  
  
"If he does anything to my wife, he's dead, and so's the old man, so he'd better tell you where they are!" Rick came back angrily. After a moment, Ron came back on. "Go to hanger 15, right when you enter the back gate you turn left, it's on the second row of hangers. He says there's a back door, key's on the hook under the hanger number."  
  
As Rick drove onto the grounds, they spied police cars coming in on silent status through the front gate. Abruptly he heard voices on his watch, as evidently Laurie had managed to leave it on a send status on her transmitter.  
  
Reiner's voice was overheard arguing with Bobby Johnson, "We're taking off now, I'm not waiting for the old man! The sooner I get Laurie where I can persuade her to be with me, the better!"  
  
"She'll never go for it, man! If she knew you're the one who told Herman she was going to the police about him, she'd kill you!" Johnson whined. Enraged, Rick gunned the truck to the back of the hangers, then started to bolt out of the truck. "Wait a minute, Rick, wait!" A.J. grabbed his arm, causing his brother to stop, eyes blazing. "Oscar's almost here, so's Ron. He'll kill her if you just rush in, Rick, so just wait a moment!"  
  
Breathing hard, Rick stared at him. "A.J., I'm not going to wait, you take the front and I'll go in the back. Wait until I get in position, then count ten and in!"  
  
Nodding, his brother watched him exit the truck, then slip around the back of the building, stopping at the storage unit marked "Number 15". Under the metal number plate, Rick found a key, so quietly he unlocked the door, then listening for any noises, slipped in. Hearing a man's voice, he edged his way through a darkened office, then stopped at a rear door which was partially open. Peering inside, he saw Laurie on the floor of the hanger, her wrists and ankles bound and a piece of tape across her mouth.  
  
She was staring up at a thin, pale man, as he held up a syringe in front of her. "See this, Miss Laurie, this is your key to life! I'm going to shoot you up every day until you agree to go with me to the high school reunion! " Laurie shook her head at her attacker, then Rick saw her eyes widen as he leaned down toward her. "No, well maybe I'd better give you a taste!" 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Laurie stared in terror at the needle in Riener's hand, then heard Rick yell "Drop it and get away from her!" The maniac turned to face Rick, then smirking, said "No, you drop it or she gets a needle in her heart." Instantly she heard gunfire explode and watched Reiner fall backwards. Dazed, she saw Rick coming toward her and kneeling down, he lifted her in his arms. Pulling the tape off her mouth as gently as possible, he held her saying "It's all right, Laurie, you're safe." as she gasped for breath, then untied her wrists and ankles. "Rick, you came, I knew you would." she told him tearfully. Comforting her, he kissed her wet cheeks, then asked "Where'd he hurt you, sweetheart?"  
  
"The back of my head, darling. I think he hit me from behind when I was trying to free Robbie!" she told him. "I'm all right, just dizzy." she tried to smile at her husband.  
  
Scooping her up in his arms, Rick headed toward the exit only to find the way barred by a disheveled Bobby Johnson. "Get out of my way, you bastard!" Rick yelled at him then froze as the criminal pulled a gun.  
  
"Who's going to make me, huh, Simon? Now put her down, nice and slow." The weasel-faced stooge grinned, not knowing Oscar had just appeared behind him.  
  
Rick set Laurie on her feet, still keeping his arm around her. Laurie kept her eyes directly on Johnson, not wanting to warn him.  
  
Suddenly Oscar moved forward and cocked his weapon. "Give me a reason to shoot you!", he grated at the would-be killer.  
  
Laurie sagged against Rick as Johnson surrendered. Beckoning to Captain Ron., Oscar had him take Johnson away, then he holstered his gun and hurried to his niece as A.J. followed close behind. "Thanks, Oscar." was all Rick could say, as the older man patted his shoulder.  
  
"Laurie, honey." her uncle's voice cracked as he hugged her then saw the matted blood on her hair. "Damn, what did that monster do to you, baby?"  
  
"I'm okay, Oscar, Reiner hit me when he found me with Robin and Robbie. That's how he grabbed me, I was dazed and he carried me out of there before I could stop him." she told him, wincing as Rick made a makeshift bandage and put it on the back of her head. A.J. hugged her, "We'll get you to the hospital, honey. Good thing you have a hard head!" She grinned at him, "little brother, no harder then my Rick's!", reaching up and kissing her husband's cheek.  
  
"Well, hard heads do run in the Simon family!", he teased her back as he kissed her. Taking Rick's keys, A.J. promised to meet them at the hospital as Rick picked her up. Oscar led the way as he carried her to an ambulance outside the hanger, where Rudy Wells was waiting. The doctor sighed with relief as Rick laid her down on a gurney inside, "Thank God you're safe, honey, you had us worried there!"  
  
"I knew Rick would come for me, I was just terrified that Reiner would use me to hurt him. He was so crazy, Rudy, he was going to hook me on heroin so I would go to our high school reunion with him!" Laurie told him, trembling as she remembered her abductor's words. Rick squeezed her hand, "Sweetheart, I'd never let that happen, ever! He's gone, he'll never bully anyone again!"  
  
"I know, thanks to you guys, where's Oscar?" Laurie worried, then smiled as her uncle got in and closed the door. "Right here, my girl. I was just making sure Johnson'll be locked up for a long time!"  
  
Speeding to the hospital, Rudy checked the bump on Laurie's head and the other bruises and cuts inflicted by Reiner. "Are you still dizzy, honey, Rick said you were when he picked you up." "Not now, my head just hurts." she replied, then Rick leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Let me kiss it and make it better.", he whispered lovingly. "Oh, you can do that all over if you like, Dr. Simon." she giggled. Rudy looked at Oscar, who just grinned.  
  
"Save it for the hospital, you two! Besides, they might just bend the rules for you and let you share a room with Robbie and Robin!"  
  
Arriving at the hospital, Laurie was whisked into a treatment room after making  
sure Robbie and Robin had been taken care of. Rick found his children resting  
in one of the family rooms, as soon as his daughter caught sight of him, she  
rushed into his arms. "Pop, Uncle A.J. said Mom was hurt, is she all right?"  
  
"She's fine, Robin, just a bump on the head. Your mom wouldn't even let me  
go with her because I'm supposed to check on you two. How do you feel?" he  
asked, seeing a bandage on her wrist.   
  
"She's ok, Pop!", Robbie spoke up from his hospital bed. "Tell Pop how you  
hurt your wrist!" Sticking her tongue out at her brother, she managed a smile.  
  
"I hit that jerk when he grabbed me, I remembered how Mom threw this guy  
once, only I tripped! He laughed at me, Pop, I tried to kick him too when he  
threw Rob in the cooler, only he said he'd turn off the air if we made a sound."  
  
Robbie grabbed her good hand in his as he looked at his father. "She's a fighter  
like Mom, only I have to show her the right way to do it, Pop!"  
  
Upset, Rick hugged his son, "I never thought I'd have to worry about my children having to defend themselves like this, Robbie! I should have warned you both about this creep, but you'll never have to worry about him again!"  
  
"It's ok, Pop, you didn't know he was so crazy! He kept ranting about showing his father which son was the real one and what, well, .." Robbie looked away for a minute, until he got control of his voice.  
  
"It's all right, son, was it what he wanted to do to your mom?", Rick asked. His son nodded.  
"I know, he was obsessed with her, son. Wait a minute, what did he say about which son was the real one?" Rick frowned, puzzled. "He was tying me up and saying he'd show the old man which one was his "real son". I tried to tell him to leave Mom alone but that's when he hit me, then shut the door."  
  
Robbie saw his father's expression. "What is it, Pop, are you thinking that other guy might be Reiner's son too?"  
  
"Yes, Robbie, you caught it! I'd better let Captain Ron know that Bobby Johnson is really Reiner's son, that would explain a lot!" Rick stood up. "You guys rest now, I 'll be right back!"  
  
Tearing out of the room, Rick ran to the lobby, where he found his brother and Oscar. Filling them in, Rick asked Oscar if Johnson had been already booked. "Yes, he kept yelling that his father would handle it, only he asked for Reiner, Sr. I turned him over to Captain Ron, he said he'd make sure he couldn't make bail!"  
  
Relieved, Rick told them he was going to find Laurie. "I've got the feeling this isn't over yet, I don't know why, but something's not right here."  
  
Going to the treatment room where Rudy had taken her, he found that she was up in x-ray, then suddenly felt her warning him, that he was in danger. Rushing upstairs, he was on his way to the x-ray department when he heard his name called. Turning, he saw the door to the emergency stairs ajar, then his wife's jacket on the floor. Alarmed, he picked it up then went into the stairwell, only for the door to shut behind him. "Don't move, Mr. Simon, or I'll have to kill you and use your wife instead!" a familiar voice warned. Raising his hands, he felt a gun in his back. "Mr. Reiner, you know you can't get out of here with me, Laurie'll have sounded the alarm by now!" he replied, trying to buy time while he "told" his wife to get A.J. and Oscar to the emergency stairs.  
  
"Nice try, but I just locked her in a closet, she'll not be found for at least a half hour if that!" Reiner smugly explained, searching Rick's pockets and taking his gun. Forcing Rick against the wall, the old man tied his wrists together, then forced him to precede him down the stairs. Rick "heard" Laurie tell him that she was all right, that Oscar had picked up her transmission and that he and A.J. were coming up the stairs and she would let him know when they were in position. Stalling for time, Rick halted on the next flight then faced Reiner. "We know Bobby Johnson's your son, the police'll never trade for him even to spare my life!"  
  
"Oh, I think with the help of your wife, we'll work something out. If not, I'll kill you and every member of your family until I get my son out of jail!" the old man snarled in a sudden rage.  
  
Just then Rick heard from Laurie, "A.J.'s in the next stairwell, and Oscar's going to be right behind you!" As she relayed the message to him, Rick faked a stumble, then pausing on the next flight, dropped to the steps. "Get up or I'll shoot you, no!" Reiner yelled, as A.J. came out of the shadows and knocked him down with a one-two punch.  
  
Before he could get up, the old man froze as Oscar came down the steps just above them, then ordered Reiner to drop the gun. As A.J. helped his brother up, Rick hurriedly had him untie his wrists, then said "Nice work, A.J., did anyone get Laurie out yet?"  
  
"No, Rick, we don't know where he stashed her, she was too busy trying to make sure we got to you!" Oscar answered for him. Immediately Rick bolted up the steps, yelling for A.J. to get Captain Ron to take the senior Reiner. Coming back onto the floor where he'd entered, he called on his transmitter to his wife, "Sweetheart, I'm coming, where are you?"  
  
"In the storage closet next to the X-ray room, my transmitter barely works in here!" Laurie told him through her watch, her voice barely inaudible. Finding the unmarked room, Rick saw the lock was turned and a chair pushed under the knob. Opening the door, he found his wife on the floor, her wrists taped to a support pole.  
  
Shaking, she collapsed against him as he freed her bound wrists, then held her against him.  
"Sweetheart, did he hurt you?", he asked, as he stroked her face.  
  
"No, just frightened me, darling. It happened so fast, I was waiting for the technician to come back when he came up behind me and put a gun to my head. He said if I made any noise he'd kill the first person that came in. He jerked me out of the wheelchair then taped my wrists and dragged me into the closet. Oh, Rick, he was going to kill you unless the police traded you for Bobby Johnson; he's his son, too!" she told him, calming down. "Robbie told me, you know you saved me, my brave girl!" her husband kissed her, then lifting her into his arms, told her, "None of these nutcases are going to hurt you again, I'm not leaving your side until we get home."

Putting her arms around his neck, she answered him with a kiss, saying "This is one promise I'm going enjoy helping you keep!"


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
"And now, the guy voted most likely to be a bounty hunter, Rick Simon and his wife, Laurie!"  
  
Amid laughter and applause, a red-faced couple took to the dance floor, as Rick  
started slow-dancing with his wife to their favorite oldie. Looking down at her, he smiled as he said "Happy, darlin"?" .  
  
"Yes, Rick, this is a wonderful anniversary, all because of you, my love!" she whispered,  
eyes glowing. "I'm so happy, I might get fresh with you in front of everyone here!"   
  
"Nah, you, get fresh with me? I dare you!" Rick teased, then was surprised by her lips kissing his ear, then his cheek, then claiming his mouth as hers.   
  
Finally coming up for air, he gazed into her eyes, then giving her a wicked smile, replied "Sweetheart, I can be just as fresh!" Kissing her throat, he felt her giggling with pleasure, then picking her up, he carried her in his arms to their table, where he set her down and preceded to kiss her neck then her lips. Finally releasing her, Rick grinned at her blush, as around them other couples cat-called and tsk-tsked.  
  
"Rick, do you think they know about us?" she laughed, then cuddled against his shoulder as  
some of his friends came by to shake hands and exchange addresses.   
  
Glancing proudly around the room, Rick couldn't help but revel in the camaraderie; almost all of  
his classmates were there.   
  
And those that weren't, ....they had drunk a toast to those who hadn't made it home from the  
last two wars, or survived the three decades since they'd last met. Unmentioned, of course were Stu Reiner or his brother; the word had spread of their outcome. One in jail, one buried, and heads could only shake as to the fate of their father. It had been a nine-days wonder amongst their peers; Rick had heard nothing but praise for the part he had taken in the bully's downfall.  
  
There was healing still going on; he refused to let Laurie go anywhere without someone with  
her until both Reiner and Bobby Johnson were tried. Robin had gone back to work after a couple of days, but no more extra early shifts where she was unprotected. Robbie had taken to stopping by to have coffee with her after taking Ramona to work. It was going to take a while for everyone, especially Cecilia. Rick was thinking of his mother's sacrifice when he felt a gentle kiss on his cheek.  
  
"Rick, darling, is everything all right?" Laurie was looking up at him, then her eyes filled with  
tears. "Oh, Rick, I'm sorry, is it Mom?"  
  
Startled, he embraced her, "I'm all right, Laurie, just couldn't help but think about Mom's not  
wanting to rebuild. All her belongings, reduced to ashes. The pictures A.J. drew for her and his trophies, I know it could have been worse, but...."  
  
"But nothing, it tears me up too. I just wish we could replace some of those memories for her. " Laurie sniffed, then was surprised by Rick's sudden "Sweetheart, you've got it!"  
  
"I do, oh, Rick, I think I've got it!" she grinned. "Is your insurance agent buddy still here?"  
  
"Let's find out, oh what a woman I married, I think I'll keep her!" he snickered, then kissing his wife soundly, helped her put her coat on and pulled her laughing by the hand toward some of their friends.  
  
An hour later, Rick was very pleased with himself; he'd arranged to have the insurance videos he and A.J. had done some years ago copied and set to music. Now his mother would remember what A.J. had made her in third grade and what trophy he had brought home from high school. Escorting Laurie to their truck, he grinned in anticipation of her reaction to his anniversary present.  
  
"Tired, darlin'?" he asked, "No, Rick, do you want to go to the beach or get a nightcap someplace?" she wondered. "Let's go for a drive, I want to show my princess something!" he told her, kissing her.  
  
"Darling, you can show me anything you want!", she teased. Climbing into the cab, they pulled out of the hotel lot and headed down the highway. Driving past all the romantic beach coves, Laurie began to wonder what her husband was up to. At that moment, she felt his arm steal around her, and she put her head on his shoulder with a giggle. "What's so funny, Laurie?", he said, pretending to be hurt. "You are, my love, you are so romantic when you're sneaky!" she answered, kissing his cheek.  
  
Finally he turned off the freeway, then headed down a long drive to a sight that took Laurie's breath away.  
  
Turrets with lights, the mammoth castle-like exterior, she looked at it with wide eyes then turned and saw the knowing grin on Rick's face. "Oh, darling, this is beautiful! Thank you for bringing me here!" she beamed. As they pulled up to the carport, a smiling valet came and took Rick's keys. Opening the door for her, another bellman escorted Laurie out of the truck cab and onto the steps, where Rick took hold of her hand.  
  
Going up the steps and into the grand old hotel, Rick escorted her to the restaurant, where he gave their name and they were immediately seated in a secluded booth. Even though it was late, several parties of diners were still enjoying the view of the bay as they sipped their coffee.  
  
"Rick, how did you think of the Del, it's like we, oh you remembered!" she gasped, then leaned over and kissed him. Moved, he cleared his throat as he replied, "I remember we always said we'd come here after our high school prom. We'd take the ferry to Coronado, then climb the parapets and turrets and, well, have an elegant supper and dance under the stars. Just like my folks did."  
  
"You remembered all that, my love.", she said, tears in her eyes. Taking his hand, she added, "You make all my dreams come true, protect me from those who would hurt me and you keep every promise you make. Thank you, darling, this is the best gift of all."  
  
Taking her face in his hands, he whispered, "My angel." as he kissed her, then held her close.  
  
"You are my dream come true, Laurie. You believe in me, in everything I do. You even find good in the things I do that worry you. Our life together has been one big honeymoon, for every single day you do or say something to make me happy." Rick wiped her damp cheeks with his handkerchief, then Laurie took it from him and dabbed at his eyes. Leaning into each other, they kissed again, then hearing a throat clearing itself, realized a waiter had been patiently waiting for them. Rick straightened himself up, then ordered coffee and cake as Laurie tried not to laugh. As soon as the waiter walked away, she lost the battle and buried her face in Rick's shoulder. "Mrs. Simon, what is so funny?", he pretended to be offended, then started to laugh himself. "Darling, you should have seen his face, he was trying so hard not to interrupt us!" she wheezed after a moment.  
  
As Rick finished his coffee, Laurie asked for him to wait for her while she went to the powder room. "I've always wanted to see what it looked like, besides we have a long drive back.", she teased.  
  
"Oh, not that long, we could always stop at a gas station!" he joked back. Sticking out her tongue, she sashayed out of the restaurant. When she came back, she found Rick sitting outside, pretending to count his change. "You are so bad, Rick, I didn't take that long!" she giggled.  
  
"Well, just wanted to make sure I had enough.", he said matter of factly, then took her arm and started toward the lobby. Suddenly he veered them toward the check-in desk, and Laurie flushed red. "Rick, we're not, we're ..." "Room for two, under the name of Simon?" Rick addressed the clerk.  
  
"Darling, you're serious, we're going to stay here, tonight!" she managed, then saw the tender look in Rick's eyes as he told her, "Happy Anniversary, my Laurie, you deserve the best!" "Thank you, oh, I love you!", she breathed in his ear, then they kissed.  
  
"Um, I'm sorry, Mr. Simon, there's been a problem." The clerk interrupted them in mid-embrace.  
  
"Yes?" he turned, frowning. Laurie tightened her grip on his hand. "Not his beautiful surprise, please!" she prayed.  
  
"The room you booked is unavailable, so I hope you don't mind, but we re- booked you in one of the turret rooms. To make up for any inconvenience, we hope you'll accept breakfast in your rooms on us, with our best wishes!" The clerk gave a tentative smile that grew even larger as Laurie threw herself into Rick's arms. "Darling, it's like someone made our wish come true!"  
  
As they went up the stairs and into their suite, Rick couldn't keep the grin off his face; this was like magic! Laughing, Laurie found her overnight bag on a bench in their room. "You must be a magician, you made my suitcase appear!" Arching his eyebrow, Rick replied, "That's not all the magic I can do!"  
  
"Wait a minute, we have to keep the tradition going!", he teased as he stopped her from entering the bedroom, then picking her up, carried her over the threshold as she kissed him.   
  
As they were getting ready for bed, the room phone rang, and picking it up, Rick found Robbie and Ramona on the other end. "Pop, we wanted to wish you and Mom a Happy Anniversary!", his son told him, then added, with unmistakable happiness, "and Ramona wanted to let you guys know something!"  
  
Beckoning Laurie over, the two Simons listened as their daughter-in-law came to the phone. "Mom, Dad, I just wanted to let you guys know that Doc says our baby is healthy and growing stronger any day, and that if we stay well, the next little Simon will be appearing around March!"  
  
"Ramona, that is the best Anniversary gift we could have received, thank you, honey!" Laurie joyfully said, then passed the phone to Rick as she reached for a kleenex. "Bless you, Ramona, you're best for telling us. Are you feeling okay?" Rick felt like sniffing himself. "Yes, dad. Don't worry, your son's taking real good care of us, now let him say good night and we'll see you and Mom tomorrow!" Ramona added, then turned the phone over to Robbie.  
  
"Pop, all the praying and good wishes and care you and Mom have given us, well, I know our baby's going to be just fine! I hope you and Mom are having a good time, but we can hardly wait to see you guys tomorrow!" Robbie said, choking up.  
  
Son, we love you two, and your Mom and I, well we're having fun, but "Rick turned to see Laurie nodding emphatically at him. "we'll be home as soon as we can tomorrow, we miss you!"   
  
Saying good night, Rick hung up the phone, then planted kisses first on his wife's hand then arm as she slid them around his neck. "Thank you, darling, you knew I was homesick for our children!" she sighed, embracing him. "Sweetheart, the minute I heard Robbie's voice, I missed him too!"  
  
He smiled, "Guess I'm a parent after all!"  
  
"And now you're going to be a grandpa, a very sexy"...she kissed his nose, "grandpa, if I do say  
so myself!"  
  
"Sexy, hmmm, I think I'll marry you again, grandma!" he snickered, then scooping her up in his arms, headed back to their bed. As he set her down, she kept her arms around his neck, then kissing him gently, asked, "Rick, can I give you your present now?"  
  
"You can't wait until morning, can you, my angel?" he grinned, then stretched out next to her as she rummaged in her bag then gave him a card and a small box. "Darling, it was morning half an hour ago!", she laughed.  
  
Seeing her face so full of anticipation, he found it difficult to not to choke up when he opened the  
card and saw their marriage vows printed out, with the handwritten words, "I do, and I always will! Yours forever and a day, Love, your Laurie."  
  
A photo of his horse Fire was enclosed showing him wearing a new saddle, matted black leather  
with the emblem of the Rough Rider. Rick marveled at how much work it must have taken to make.   
  
"Sweetheart, I don't know what's more beautiful, you, my card or Fire's saddle!" he drew her into his arms. "You'd better not say saddle, though the Chief did do a beautiful job!" she sniffed,  
then giggled as he kissed her neck.  
  
"Before you get carried away, darling, please open your other present!", Laurie pleaded, as he  
groaned in mock frustration.   
  
He undid the ribbon on the box, then opened it to reveal an old-fashioned horseshoe ring, like one he had seen in a western store. This one had engraving on the inside and instead of a point, a single turquoise chip that intersected with the nail head. "It has my words to you inside, "I do, and I always will! Yours forever and a day, Love, your Laurie." she said, then added;  
  
"Rick, I saw this and I kept thinking it looked like you, so strong and tough, yet," she put her head against his shoulder, 'so wonderful." Her husband held out his hand to her, "Put it on, darlin'." Laurie took the ring and slid it on to his middle finger, then whispered, "with this ring, I thee wed!" Rick took her left hand in his, removed a box from his pocket, then showed her a similar ring, this of silver with a blue/green turquoise chip. Startled, she looked up to see a smile on his face. "Laurie, I told the Chief I wanted to give something special, the old sneak pointed this out at the jewelers and said it was perfect, that like us it would last. That's what the engraving I chose, says to you, "Like this ring, my love for you will last, RS loves LS." "Oh, yes, my love!" she beamed, as he put it on her middle finger, then in turn said "with this ring, I thee wed!"  
  
"Rick, you may now kiss the bride!" Laurie teased, then melted as he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Breathless, Rick finally released her then held her gently in his arms, "Happy Anniversary, Laurie, thank you for loving me!" he finally said, stroking her face.  
  
Laurie took his hand in hers, then kissing it, replied, "Happy Anniversary, Rick. Thank you for making all my dreams come true!" 


End file.
